Jose Muñoz (from Convergence of Cultures) and Nacho Martinez (from the International Humanist Party) summarize their journey to Egypt in April with the intention to propose a forum to help launching the Humanist Movement in Egypt.

We made a journey of one week to evaluate the possibility of organizing a forum that allow us to develop the Humanist Movement in Egypt after the “revolution” (they call it like this) without violence.

We believe that a new time has started in Egypt, in which the people have registered something interesting internally during the revolution, searching for references and it seems that there is the possibility to offer certain social answers based on humanism.

Independent of what will come out later, our attention was drew to that in the three organizational and generational levels at the University (principals, lecturers and students) answered positively to our questions: Is it possible to make a forum now? Would you help?

Finally, we noted changes in the human landscape compared to previous trips: less fear, more happiness, open future… So we were projecting a humanist forum for November. It’s a good period because before there will be elections in Egypt and after exams at the University.

Also, it seems that an international forum on November 11th is foreseen, and it would be good to match them, giving international air and plug into the network with other points. We are thinking in a simple forum that could adapt to something small (at any neighbourhood) or something bigger if the University or some institution finally would be the host and if we succeed sufficient thrust.

We think in a forum in which the institutional won’t overshadow the Egyptian friends that participates, who will be the real protagonists. We think in a simple forum in which the organizational won’t take much energy, and that it takes the direction to growth, opening and diffusion.

The forum would serve to present publicly the five humanist organism and if it is possible to give a signal through the mass medias. We don’t discard other round-tables if they are initiated by Egyptians. We have clear that the most important thing will be what happens during the way to build this event, the experience of the Egyptian friends that will be the real protagonists: the forum has sense if they feel it as theirs.

We limit ourselves to get running the forum organization (it isn’t established the design, nor name, etc. yet) and facilitate the posibility to the organisms and those who want to make growing humanism in Egypt taking advantage of the forum. So we give now the possibility of this forum to the international teams of the humanist organisms, so that they can see if they want to be involved and in what way.

More information: José Muñoz, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

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Translated to English by Ruth Fuente